Globally, there is set to be a 50% surge in investment into commercial real estate in the second half of the year, predicts Colliers International in its new Global Capital Markets 2021 Investor Outlook paper. In EMEA, the momentum continues in the industrial and logistics and living sectors which are less dependent on economic growth. Investors are also particularly interested in core office stock, albeit selectively, with some 32 per cent of respondents looking to invest in the sector.

European logistics real estate markets have not suffered last year from the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to fast-growing e-commerce and higher inventory levels of producers, the total expected take-up in 11 European countries of 23.6 million sqm for 2020 is only 3% down compared with the record year 2019. The forecasts for this year are even better with an expected take-up of 27 million sqm – an increase of 14%. Particularly large logistics real estate markets like Germany, France, the Netherlands and Poland are expected to grow substantially.

The total volume invested in real estate assets in Romania reached €914 million in 2020, a 28% increase compared 2019, according to the Romania Investment Marketbeat launched by Cushman & Wakefield Echinox.

Wing completed the development of the revitalised Gizella Loft office building, in the heart of Zugló, in fall 2020. The building offers 8,500 sqm of office space. Its redevelopment has transformed it into a Class A, people-oriented and cost-efficient space ready to welcome future tenants. The main tenant which had already occupied the building, TÜV Rheinland Intercert Kft., committed itself to the Gizella Loft in 2019, and in September 2020 took occupancy of the space designed according to its needs.

The COVID-19 pandemic has left hardly any business or industry untouched and retail real estate industry has also been affected. The last twelve months were marked by three lockdowns that helped change the shopping habits of Poles, lower developer activity, and increase the popularity of smaller retail formats, JLL analysts say.

CPI Property Group has sold part of its Czech facility management business to M2C, which provides security, maintenance and cleaning services. Employees from the existing facility management division will be transferred to M2C.

Opus Land continues to invest in Cosmopolis, a residential project near Bucharest, where construction work was started in 2007. €22 million will be allocated for the construction of 500 new homes and €7 million are for increasing the commercial area of the strip mall, SVN Romania, the exclusive agent of the project, announced.

The stable 2021 outlook for sovereigns in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) reflects their robust economic growth prospects and strengthened ability to carry and reduce debt, which make their credit profiles resilient to the sharp deterioration of their public finances in 2020, Moody's Investors Service said in a report published today. Ageing populations and structural economic change will remain longer-term challenges for the region.

Paweł Sapek, Senior Vice President, Regional Head CE & Country Manager of Prologis talked to Property Forum about the state of the warehouse market, the changing expectations and demands of tenants and new challenges for the nearest future. 

A survey prepared by Cushman & Wakefield in partnership with FIHR, targeting Romanian hoteliers, was launched in November 2020 to understand the impact of COVID-19 on the Romanian hotel industry and their perspectives on the outlook of this sector. This survey is the second instalment after a previous questionnaire that was launched in April 2020. The intention is to gain the appropriate attention and appeal to authorities for more meaningful and targeted support towards our hospitality sector. Cushman & Wakefield and FIHR remain committed to ensuring that the industry receives appropriate support by collecting and analysing available data and appealing to authorities.